COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 21 Ohio State field hockey team closes the 2012 home schedule against No. 7 Penn State at 3 p.m. Friday live on BTN at Buckeye Varsity Field. The Buckeyes (9-6, 1-3 Big Ten) are 5-2 at home this season, outscoring their opponents, 37-9, on its home turf.

FOLLOW THE BUCKEYESTo stay up to date on Buckeye field hockey, follow the team on its official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OhioStateFieldHockey. Fans can also follow the squad on Twitter here: @OhioState_FH.

GAMETRACKER Gametracker will be available for the contest vs. Penn State Friday. A link to the live scoring will be on the Buckeye field hockey schedule page on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

HOME SWEET HOMEThe Buckeyes hold a 5-2 record at home this season highlighted by a 3-2 upset over nationally-ranked Northwestern Sept. 21. Ohio State had led its opponents in multiple offensive categories on its home turf including:

 37-9 lead in goals  172-9 advantage in shots  5.29-1.29 lead in goals per game  24.6-7.3 advantage in shots per game  66-23 lead in penalty corners

BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TENSitting with a 1-3 league record, the Buckeyes are in sixth place in the Big Ten conference. Northwestern (3-1), Penn State (3-1) and Iowa (3-1) are tied for first followed by Michigan (2-2) and Michigan State (2-2).

As a team, Ohio State is second in the conference in shots (280), goals against average (1.42), shots per game (18.67), goals allowed per game (1.47) and penalty corners (125) and third in scoring margin (1.62), scoring average (3.04) and goals scored per game (3.13).

OHIO STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS Ohio State is No. 21 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll released Tuesday by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Six Big Ten programs received votes in the national rankings with Penn State (7) leading the way followed by Northwestern (8), Iowa (12), Michigan (15) and Michigan State (20). This season, Ohio State is 3-3 vs. ranked opponents.

The Buckeyes lead their opponents in multiple statistical categories during that span:

 31-6 lead in goals  21.3-9.7 advantage in shots per game  128-58 lead in shots  49-30 lead in penalty corners

RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE The Buckeyes tied the program record for most goals in a game (10) and posted the highest point total by a team (27) in a 10-1 victory over Missouri State Sept. 23 at Buckeye Varsity Field. Led by a hat trick and an assist by senior forward Berta Queralt, six different Buckeyes found the back of the cage. Freshman forward Peanut Johnson had five points, while senior forward Danica Deckard, sophomore midfielder Mona Frommhold and junior midfielder Paula Pastor-Pitarque each had four points. Freshman midfielder Emma Royce also scored vs. the Bears. Overall, Ohio State held 23-11 advantage in shots and a 6-4 lead in penalty corners.

OHIO STATE UPSETS NO. 10 NORTHWESTERN Ohio State got off to a great start in conference action Sept. 21 after upsetting No. 10 Northwestern, 3-2, in Columbus.

The Scarlet and Gray are 22-1 vs. the Wildcats under 17th-year head coach Anne Wilkinson.

Defensively, the OSU backfield played solid throughout the entire contest, limiting Northwestern to eight shots, who came into the game ranked in the Top 10 nationally in scoring average and goals per game.

QUERALT CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS Senior forward Berta Queralt posted back-to-back hat tricks in wins over Missouri State (Sept. 21) and Robert Morris (Sept. 26) to up her career points total to 138 points, which is third on the OSU career points record list. The OSU forward also moved to fifth overall on the OSU career goals list (46), passing former Buckeye Linda Haussener (2005-06). With the assist vs. the Bears, Queralt also elevated to second on the all-time career assists list (46), passing former Buckeye Saskia Mueller (2003-06).

A two-time All-American, Queralt leads all active Buckeyes in several offensive categories, including points (138), goals (46) and assists (46).

CAREER YEAR FOR DECKARDSenior captain Danica Deckard has already set a career high with 31 points. Deckard, a native of Selinsgrove, Pa., has collected 10 multi-point performances, including a career-high seven points vs. Kent State Sept. 19. She leads the conference in shots per game (7.00), third in shots (98), fourth in points per game (2.21) and goals per game (0.93) and tied for fifth in goals (13) and points (31).

PEANUT PRODUCTIONFreshman forward Peanut Johnson has been a productive offensive player for the Buckeyes in limited minutes in 2012. Johnson, a native of Dayton, Ohio, is fifth on the team in points after tying all 11 points in the last eight games. Johnson scored her first career goal vs. Kent State Sept. 19 and followed with a season-high five points against Missouri State Sept. 23.

BUCKEYES VS. PENN STATE The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 33-11-2 against Ohio State. Last season, the Buckeyes defeated Penn State on the road, 2-0, while the Nittany Lions claimed a 1-0 victory in the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament in State College, Pa.

WILKINSON CLAIMS WIN NO. 200Head coach Anne Wilkinson, who is in her 17th season at the helm of the Buckeyes, picked up her 200th victory at Ohio State after the squad posted its first win of the season in shutout fashion, downing No. 18 UNH, 1-0, Aug. 26 in Durham, N.H. With the win, Wilkinson becomes the first coach in program history to hit the 200-win mark.

Senior captain Danica Deckard scored the eventual gamewinner at 29:47 when she redirected a UNH back pass inside the right post of the cage. The Ohio State defense stood strong throughout the entire competition, limiting the UNH offense to seven shots and four penalty corners. The OSU backfield did not allow a shot or corner attempt in the final 20 minutes of regulation.

UP NEXTOhio State will travel to play at Louisville Oct. 22 before closing out the regular season at Indiana Oct. 27.